Swept Away
by EnviousIndividual
Summary: After the death of her brother, Lauren Anderson finds herself alone. What happens when she finds herself in the world of Harry Potter?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hey I'm back! I know that this kind of story about a muggle ending up in the Harry Potter universe is a little overdone (okay, REALLY overdone), but I couldn't resist! I'm going to try and make it as realistic as possible though, so please give my fanfiction a chance, and tell me what you think! _

_Thanks!_

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters. :)

-:-

"Go away!" I yell at my brother Paul, and slam my bedroom door in his face, "I hate you!" I say to the now closed door. The white paint on it has been pealing, a testament to our crappy apartment. To our crappy life.

"Lauren!" He says on the other side of the door, "Can you act mature, just this once, please?"

"Don't tell me how to act!" I yell back, louder. "When you've gone and... and..." I couldn't finish my sentence because a fresh wave of tears consumed me.

"I'm sorry." He says, sounding defeated. "I had to."

"Just leave me alone!"

I sit on the floor, by the door, trying to calm myself. I can hear Paul on the other side. I wait until I hear footsteps walking away, and a muffled door shut. He probably went outside to smoke or something. It was a nasty habit, and I wished he wouldn't do it.

I stand up, and flop down on my small bed. I suddenly feel exhausted. I turn to where I'm staring up at the ceiling. I shouldn't have spoken to Paul like that, it wasn't his fault that he had been let go from his job, and we had to move so he could live closer to his new work. I understood that, so why had I acted so psycho?

I get up quickly, suddenly feeling as though I had to find Paul and apologize.

I run to the front door, and call out, "Paul?"

Instead of Paul's reassuring voice, I hear the sounds of sirens, and people shouting. My stomach sinks, where's Paul? I follow the flashing lights, and the sound of chaos, and that's where I find him.

I scream louder than I ever have before, and before someone can catch me I run towards the scene. "Paul!" I shout, "Paul! I'm so sorry! PAUL!"

A kind police officer pulls me away, "Is this man related to you?" he asks gently.

"Y-yes." I choke through my tears, "He's my brother! He's the only person I have!"

The policeman is now looking at me, his expression sad.

The night flashes by, somehow I'm in a hospital, a man in a white coat that I've never seen in my life is telling me that, despite all they tried to do, Paul didn't make it. I can't hear the rest of what he's trying to say because I'm crying so hard.

All I can think about is one of the last things I said to him. _I hate you. _Guilt, stronger than anything I've ever felt consumes me.

-:-

A few months later, I'm in state care. Where I'll probably always be until I turn eighteen in a year. The guilt of the accident a few months ago hasn't gone away, but some of the overwhelming sadness has. Only a little, though.

I go to a different school, one where I don't know anyone, and resolve to work harder in my studies. It's more of a distraction than anything. My days are filled with studying, eating, and sleeping. I only go through the motions, trying hard not to think about the fact that I'm alone now.

Today is the same. I'm walking home from school late, the sun's already setting, wondering if I would get in trouble for getting a detention for the next two weeks. It wasn't my fault Felicity decided to insult the way I dressed. Usually I paid remarks like this no attention, I grew up poor, so I didn't have very many new clothes. Almost none. I shop at thrift stores, and it's fine with me.

But today, I just snapped.

As I walk, the sun sets. A few streetlights flicker on. I'm still a few blocks away, wondering what they'll tell me about getting detention. Will I be punished?

I don't notice initially, but while I'm walking, everything just seems to get darker and darker. Thinking the streetlamps must not be working, I continue into the darkness, trying not to think about what might be in front of me. My experience the night Paul died had made me a coward; I was terrified of the dark, and I had horrible nightmares at night that I woke up screaming from constantly. The girl who shared my room, a tall, awkward girl named Serena, who always had a blank look on her face complained about them waking her up every night.

Suddenly, I hear a sound. I jump automatically. _Calm down, _I think to myself, _There's nothing out there._

It gets louder. Footsteps, getting closer and closer to me.

I continue to walk, my pace quickening. The footsteps grow closer still, and I find myself running. Panic floods my mind, and I'm sprinting in the direction that I think is my new home. My follower is relentless, however, and soon I'm clutching my side. I've never been much of an athlete, but I have to continue.

I hit something. A person. "Going somewhere?" A man's voice drawls at me, he's obviously been drinking. I feel someone grab my arm.

No. It can't end this way.

"NO!" I shout, and wrench my arm away. Thankfully, I'm free, and I began to sprint away. It's still almost impossible to see, but I continue on. "Help!" I shout, "Someone help me!"

I run into someone else, but it's not the same man. I can't see his face, but he's taller than me. I feel a hand on my shoulder. "Is something wrong? Are you okay?" The voice asks. It's a nice voice, I think.

"Help." I say again, feebly, and then everything goes black.

-:-

I wake up to someone shaking me awake. "Are you okay?" They ask me frantically.

I open my eyes, to find that it isn't Serena waking me up, but an unfamiliar redheaded boy around my age, maybe a little older. He's eying me worriedly, "You were screaming, and I couldn't wake you up."

I shake my head. "What's going on?"

"You ran into me on the street." He answers, "You were screaming for help, and then you fainted, so I brought you back here with me."

It all comes rushing back to me. The running, the creep that grabbed my arm, and then passing out. "Sorry." I say. Was I late for school? Were they looking for me? I look around at my surroundings, it seems I'm in some sort of room with a lot of merchandise stocked on shelves haphazardly. "What is this place?" I say.

"You are in the backroom of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, our soon-to-be famous joke shop." The boy says, with a tinge of pride in his voice. "I assure you, the front of the shop looks better than this mess."

Cautiously, I stand up from the floor where I had been sleeping - and apparently screaming. There's a blanket off to the side, and I'm right next to the chair. I must have fallen off during my nightmare. Something about the name of the store sounds familiar, but my mind's too hazy to remember.

"I'm Fred Weasley by the way." He says, after silence from me, "Co-owner of the shop."

I nod, "Lauren Anderson." I say.

"Fred." A boy that looks exactly like Fred appears. His eyes move to me, and widen. "She's awake."

"George," Fred says, "This is Lauren Anderson."

"George Weasley." He says, and shakes my hand.

And that's when it happens. It finally dawns on me who they are. With that realization, I pass out for the second time that night.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: So here's the second chapter! I hope you enjoy, and please review! If you see any inconsistencies with the storyline, or just bad grammar, please tell me! I accept constructive criticism. ;)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

-:-

"I'm sorry," I giggle nervously, "I don't usually do that." Meaning pass out.

Once I came back to consciousness for the second time, the very confused Weasley twins moved me to a chair and gave me a bottle that said "Butterbeer" on the side. When I took a sip, warmth spread through my body, just like I had read in the books.

When I realized that the people I was speaking to were Harry Potter characters, I was sure I was going crazy. I was going crazy, or this was all a dream.

I chose to believe the latter.

Not wanting to have to explain that I had come from a completely different world and time period, I just told the twins that I couldn't remember anything but being chased. This could have been true, it wasn't like I had any life before now. They had taken it alright, and Fred thought it might be a memory charm.

It was so surreal seeing them. They looked exactly like I had imagined when I had read the books a few years ago. From the way I seemed to be in their joke shop, I could be in any book from _the Order of the Phoenix_ to maybe the very first part of _the Deathly Hallows_, but I hadn't read the books in awhile, so I couldn't exactly tell.

The next day, Fred and George take me to the Burrow (which looks almost exactly how I pictured it in the books), where we are greeted by Mrs. Weasley. "Oh hello dear, you must be Lauren." She says once she opens the door. "Come in, come in!"

I had stayed the night in their shop, while the Weasley twins decided on what to do. Exhausted from the nights events (not to mention fainting twice), I just listened quietly, interjecting only a few times. It was then that they decided to send an owl to Mrs. Weasley, which is how I ended up here today.

Once she sat us down at the kitchen table and we explained what had happened, it was decided that I would stay there for the day while Fred and George attended to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. I agreed, not sure what else I could do.

"We'll come back." Fred promised before they disapparated.

After they're gone, Mrs. Weasley sighs. "Those boys, always so busy. I'm so worried that they're going to get into trouble, with all that's going on."

"What's going on?" I say, still feigning amnesia.

"Well there's the matter that You-Know-Who is back of course," she says with a shudder as she moves about the kitchen, "There's so many Dark Wizards about..." she informs me about various happenings that have given the Order (although she doesn't mention the name, I just assume) and her husband trouble. All things that I remembered mostly from the books, just in more detail.

I follow Mrs. Weasley around the house for the rest of the day, picking up tidbits of information. During these conversations I have learned that:

1. Sirius Black is dead, and it is the beginning of the summer, meaning that I arrived in the Potterverse at the end of OOTP and HBP, which is a shame really because he was one of my favorite characters in the series.

2. Harry Potter will arrive in July.

3. Hermione should come a bit earlier, probably late June.

4. I still have no idea how I got here.

I meet Ginny Weasley when she comes down the stairs at 10am, Ron following a few hours later around noon.

"Ginny, dear, this is Lauren, she'll be staying with us for a little while." Mrs. Weasley says as she hands Ginny a plate of toast.

"Blimey." Ron says, his mouth full of toast, when I'm introduced to him and explain how I got here to him and his sister, "D'you think it has somefink to do wif You-Know-Who?"

"Oh don't be silly." Mrs. Weasley snaps, "It was probably just a memory charm. She'll come around once we get someone from the Or- someone to look at it."

I'm certain that she was about to say the Order of the Phoenix. This is getting more and more interesting.

"So do you have a wand?" Ron wants to know.

"Er, no." I admit. "I don't have one now and... can't remember using one." This lying was getting harder.

Ginny and Ron looked at me sympathetically.

Fred and George come back in the evening to have dinner and check on me.

"Remember anything yet?" George asks me.

"Nothing." I lie.

I eat dinner with them - the food's delicious - and Mrs. Weasley insists that I take Fred and George's old room to sleep in tonight.

"I insist." She says, "We've got plenty of room."

Mr. Weasley is back by now, and after meeting and explaining how I got there (it's becoming quite repetitive), he welcomes me in their home too.

I'm grateful for their kindness, and fall asleep almost instantly that night. However, before I'm unconscious, thoughts of Paul flit through my mind, and of my old life. I wonder, how am I going to get back?

And then, a few seconds later a smaller voice says, do I even want to?

-:-

A month later, I'm starting to become accustomed to my new life.

Realizing that I haven't "recovered" my memories yet, Fred and George offered me a temporary job in their store. While I did like staying at the Burrow, I did like to get out of the house now and then. It was a dream working in Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. I loved the magic of it. I had began to love magic in general, actually. At least all of it that I had seen so far.

At night, I'm back at the Burrow. I talk to Ginny more and get to know her better. She informs me about her life, her love life (it's actually extremely hard for me not to mention Harry a lot, but I don't want to mess with the storyline). I tell her small things I "remember" from my old life.

I'm saving up the money I earn, keeping it in a pouch in my room back at the Burrow. I don't know what to spend it on, but I'm sure I'll find something later.

One day while I'm working, Fred approaches me. "C'mon, we're going on a break." he says.

I follow him obediently out of the store in to Diagon Alley. Although it's a bit darker - there are more questionable people out on the street - I still enjoy seeing it. Knowing that it's real.

It takes me a moment before I realize where he's leading me. Olivander's. The shop where you can buy a magic wand.

"George and I were thinking that you should have one." he explains, "Since you don't, and can't remember having one anyway."

I shake my head, "I forgot my money."

"We'll pay." he insists, "As a present for working so hard."

"I can't."

"Don't make me force you." He raises his eyebrows.

I concede, because I've always wanted to try this.

Olivander's still in his shop, and the book was right, his eyes are kind of creepy. But he shows me a selection of wands, and let's me try them out.

Nervous, I try out a few, and to my surprise they work! Well, not the way they're supposed to, but it surprises me that I get a response out of them. I suppose that moving to this world has allowed me to pick up magic too. This delights me to no end.

Finally, I find a wand that suits me. "Birch, 10 inches with a dragon heartstring core." Olivander says, "Swishy."

"Thank you." I say as we leave the shop. "It's wonderful!" Since Paul and I were always short on money, we never got presents, and on the rare occasion that we could they were never as wonderful as this. It's the best thing anyone has ever given to me.

Before I realize what I'm doing, I hug him. He's taller than me, so it's a bit awkward, but after a few seconds of surprise he hugs me back. I break away after a few seconds, trying not to blush, but I notice him grinning.

I spend the rest of the day in a great mood. Fred and George say they'll help me learn a few spells later, and that makes me excited. For the first time, I'm actually happy.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews! :) It took me a little bit longer to write this chapter, I have a good idea of where I want this story to end up, but I still haven't figured out how to get there, but I'll figure something out. I hope you've enjoyed the story so far, and please review! _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter._

-:-

I was still living at the Burrow, helping out around the house with Mrs. Weasley and reading spell books that Ginny or Ron had left over from school when I wasn't working at WWW. Since I was already of age (at least in the Harry Potter world), I didn't have the Trace, and so I was free to practice magic.

Normally Fred and/or George would try and teach me basic spells during our breaks, or for an hour before and after we opened and closed the shop. For this I was extremely grateful, they didn't have to take time to do this. They were both extraordinary with charms, and so that's what I learned the most from them. Sometimes I would practice at the Burrow on the days I had off, and with the help of Ron and Ginny describing things, and Mrs. Weasley's instructions occasionally, I was able to learn a few basic-level spells.

I was moved into Ginny's room officially with the arrival of Bill and Fleur. It was still like I was in a dream when I met them, although I had managed to recover myself enough in the past two weeks to act normal. Bill was polite, but Fleur was, well, sort of annoying after awhile.

"She's always talking down to me." complained Ginny to me as we manually did the dishes one night (I was slowly getting better at magic, but not good enough to start using it with everyday tasks).

I agreed. "It's getting aggravating."

Hermione arrived a week later, and it was interesting to meet her. She was very nice, and stayed in Ginny's room with me. It was actually more helpful to have her around, because once I got to know her better she helped me out with learning magic too. No offense to Ginny or Ron, but it was a lot easier to learn if your teacher was the top of her class. I also learned more transfiguration (not my strong subject) from her, although it was really just first-year things.

I became closer to Ginny - we were only two years apart after all, and although I got along well with Ron and Hermione they were off alone, probably discussing things crucial to the story plot that I shouldn't have known anyway.

I continued this routine, until it was natural to me. I felt more comfortable in this life than my past one, and found myself not wishing to go back. Slowly, I revealed more and more of my old life (not all of it, of course) but enough so it seemed like my memory was gradually returning.

Today I had the day off, and Ginny and I are in the yard tending to the chickens (Phlegm- er, Fleur had currently taken over the kitchen, so we decided it would be best if we went outside).

"Harry's coming tomorrow." Ginny says, and I remember what I read in the books about them.

"You mean Harry Potter?" I ask. Harry's been mentioned from time-to-time, by Ron or Hermione or Mrs. Weasley, but we've never really spoken about him.

Ginny nods, and throws some feed to the chickens, which are now running around our bare feet. I giggle, because the feeling of them scampering around my feet tickles. Ginny confessed that she used to have a crush on him for years one night in her room, but had given up on it.

"Don't give up." I had blurted out, and then automatically regretted doing it. More than anything, I wanted Harry and Ginny to end up together, and I didn't want to say anything to mess it up. "I mean... er, you have a great personality, now that you're not as shy, he'll come around."

"You think so?" Ginny's voice sounded skeptical in the dark.

"Yeah, I'm positive."

-:-

"Guess who arrived here this morning?" I say to George while manually restocking some of the shelves at work.

"Who?" He says, playing along. Fred comes by and with a flick of his wand all of the boxes fly out of my hands and neatly place themselves on the shelf.

"No fair!" I say, and then to George, "Harry Potter, you're friends right?"

"Ah, Harry's back." Fred says, sending more boxes onto shelves with his wand - he really needs to show me how to do that, "He'll have to come by to the shop."

Meeting Harry Potter had been rather anticlimactic for me. I had woken up one morning, and there he was at the kitchen table, eating with Ron and Hermione. I don't know why, but I was a little disappointed. I had thought that meeting the main character of the whole series would be more... dramatic, I suppose.

To his credit, Harry was very polite. But, still.

I pick up more boxes, distracted, and they fly out of my hands again. When I look up, Fred is laughing at me.

Thinking that I'll show him, I pull my wand out of my pocket and wave it in the air. A few of the boxes of Nosebleed Nougats twitch feebly, which just makes him laugh harder. Obviously not done embarrassing myself, I try it again, this time too much, because one of the boxes flies into the back of George's head.

Now laughing hysterically, I avoid George's gaze as I start restocking manually again. As I'm about to refill a shelf full of Canary Creams, however, I'm showered by Edible Dark Marks (George's revenge).

We end up fighting like that for awhile, until the whole back area is trashed. Verity, a witch with short blond hair and also one of my fellow employees comes in at that moment to begin her shift.

"What happened in here?" She asks, her expression sort of hovering between shocked and in awe.

I'm laughing so hard by now that I can't speak, and Fred and George are too. Together, they use their wands to clean the place up - so much easier than it would have been back home. After that, the store is open and I go back to work, but I can't help but feel that Fred and George are really my friends, and that makes me happy.

-:-

Fred and George decide to start living at their flat above WWW again, although Fred still apparates me back to the Burrow after work. I still spend most of my time with Ginny while I'm there, and occasionally Hermione still assists me with learning magic, though mostly all I need to do is practice before I learn anything else.

July passes by fairly quickly, and whenever I am at the Burrow I'm able to see parts of the Harry Potter books come to life. I especially laugh at how Hermione reacts to her O.W.L. scores. Harry's birthday was nothing special, I looked forward to the one next year - that is if I'm still here.

When Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, Ron, Harry, and Hermione came to visit Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, I was there working. I was especially excited to see Ginny, because she hadn't been to the shop yet.

"Isn't he adorable?" She asks me, now holding Arnold, her new pygamy puff.

I had always thought they were cute, and agree. "So, what do you think?" I ask.

"It's brilliant." Ginny says grinning, "I didn't actually think Fred and George were making things in their room. They're probably the most successful in the family."

We walk around the store, I'm still in my uniform, but have decided that I'm on break. I notice that Harry, Ron, and Hermione disappear, but since it's part of the storyline I try not to interfere.

"Oi, Lauren!" Fred says, "Mind helping me with this?" I leave Ginny temporarily, promising to return.

Fred instructs me to add some more merchandise to the shelves out front, the Scaving Snackboxes in particular (we may be friends, but I'm still his employee). "They're going fast." he says proudly, before heading back into the front.

I restock the shelves quickly, making sure that they are stacked nicely, without getting in anyone's way. I think I've got the knack of arranging things down, if I do say so myself.

I finish just in time to say goodbye to Ginny. "I'll see you at home." I say to her, noticing how easy it is to call the Burrow "home" now. Sort of surprising, too.

The shop remains crowded for the rest of the day - such a contrast to the emptiness that occupies everywhere else.

-:-

"It's hard to believe that you actually have to go to school tomorrow." I say, before Ginny, Hermione, and I go to sleep. It's nighttime, and I've just returned a few hours before after a particularly busy day at work.

"You should come." Ginny insists. "You're still seventeen, Dumbledore would probably let you go."

"And embarrass myself?" I snort, "No thank you." Although it was true that my magical abilities had been improving, I was still at about a first-year level. Magic was new, and difficult to learn. But I would have liked to go to Hogwarts, that was true.

"I'll write to you," Ginny promises, "And tell you about all the fun I'm having without you."

"It was nice getting to know you." Hermione says, "I'll be writing too, I think. Just to check on how your magic studies are coming along." She smiles.

"Thanks." I say earnestly. It's nice having friends. I actually had a few before Paul died and I had to move away. Not a lot, but enough. When I had to relocate, I was also sent to another school. I didn't bother to try and make new friends, and lost contact with my old ones. I just couldn't make myself care.

Now, I feel different. I want to care.

"I'd like that."

We talk for awhile more, and then fall asleep. The next morning, I say goodbye to them before they leave the Burrow. As much as I'd love to go see the Hogwarts Express and Platform 9 and 3/4, I know that it would just cause more of a hassle for the others.

"Have fun at school!" I call out as they leave.

For the first time, the cozy house actually feels empty to me. With all of the Weasley's gone, and Bill and Fleur off in Diagon Alley for something, it's the first time I've been left alone since I arrived here. I begin to feel vaguely sad, which I can't explain. Alone now, I think about the life I've left behind. Were they looking for me? Did they know I'd even left? For the first time in awhile, I wish that I could talk to Paul. Even though we didn't always get along, our life wasn't always so bad.

I missed him so much.

"Lauren?" Fred's voice calls out from the front door, "Are you here?"

The loneliness that I've been feeling disappears. "Yes." I say, and walk into the kitchen where Fred is waiting for me to apparate to the shop. "You really don't mind doing this?"

"Not at all." He grins, and offers me his arm.

I take it, and continue on with my new life.


	4. Chapter 4

_Lauren, _

_School's all right, but since we have OWLs this year there's a lot more homework, sometimes I doubt that I'll be able to finish it all. Snape - formerly the potions teacher I told you about - is now teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. He's still better than that old toad from last year, but just barely. _

_Micheal's been annoying me lately, he's always so possessive, and he has this habit of cracking his knuckles incessantly that's been driving me insane. I'm thinking about breaking up with him, what do you think? _

_ Wish you were here, _

_Ginny_

I set down the letter that had arrived that morning, thinking. I was definitely in the _Half-Blood Prince_ if I remembered correctly, which means that Snape was going to kill Dumbledore soon. Or was it Malfoy?

It was at times like this that I wished I had a copy of the book with me. Or a better memory.

"So how's Ginny?" Fred asks. I had gotten to work earlier than usual, and there was really nothing to do today, so we were mostly just trying to pass the time.

"She's good." I reply, "Did you know Snape's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?"

"Yeah, Mum told me about that." Fred says, "If you ask me, Dumbledore's gone mad."

I shrug, but I'm not really paying attention. Dumbledore was still alive now, and he only had less than a year to live. Ironically, Dumbledore was probably the best person to talk to about my situation. But how?

"Lauren?" Fred says, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I say, shaking my head, "I was just spacing out - didn't get much sleep last night."

He nods sympathetically, and then leaves the room to open the shop.

I spend the rest of the day deep in thought. Although I didn't want to leave just yet, I still knew a lot of what was going to happen in the books, and could maybe change some of the bad things, like so many characters dying. And then it dawns on me: Fred died at the end of the last book.

I'm suddenly at a loss of what to do. Should I tell him, so he could prevent it? Or should I just let the storyline carry on? I have to speak to Dumbledore first, before I do anything drastic. I don't want anything else to mess up because of me. But then... I'm already in the story, so maybe I'm already messing things up-

"Not really on the ball today, are you?" George appears at my side and helps the girl I was selling a Scaving Snackbox to purchase her things.

"Sorry." I apologize, "I dunno what's wrong with me today."

"Are you sure you're okay?" He eyes me wryly, "You look distressed."

"No, I'm fine." I insist, and smile halfheartedly.

We close early that day, and head over to the Burrow for dinner. I stay silent throughout the meal, still thinking about what I'm supposed to do. I can tell that Fred and George notice my sudden change in attitude, but don't say anything, instead choosing to talk about the particularly barmy witch that came in today - seemed to think we were selling items stolen from her uncle or something.

"She yelled at Verity for about half an hour until George asked her to leave." Fred was saying, "Diagon Alley really changed a lot, eh?"

The conversation shifts to the decreasing state of Diagon Alley, and I join in, temporarily forgetting about my little dilemma.

* * *

><p>It had been decided that I had lost my memories in some sort of freak memory charm accident - so why was Fred looking at me like this?<p>

I suppose if I want to be truly honest with myself, it would be because of the nightmares I've been having recently.

It all started the night Bill and Fleur said they were going to leave for France to visit Fleur's parents. I don't know why, but their announcement really shook me. I guess it was because Bill reminded me of Paul in a way. Ever since I had started living at the Weasley's house they had all sort of just adopted me into the family after awhile.

I guess since he was already the eldest, having an extra person to be a sort of older brother to just came naturally for Bill. After we got to know each other, he began to treat me like he did Ginny. He teased me, gave good advice, and was even protective of me. It was like having Paul back, in a way, which made me miss him even more.

"We are going to visit my family." Fleur had said, "Thank you for your kind 'ospitality."

I watched as Mrs. Weasley forced a smile, "It was no problem at all, dear." Was I the only one who could hear the traces of great irritation in her voice?

Bill grinned, "We'll be back soon, Mum."

The family then lapsed into its customary dinner conversations. Since Fred and George were staying over that night (we had a day off and they wanted to clean out the rest of their room - Hermione's black eye had given them an idea that they wanted to try out), we talked to Mr. Weasley about plans for the shop (well, they talked while I added my own comments on whether I would think they would work or not). Mrs. Weasley urged Bill to cut his hair while Fleur remarked on something I honestly couldn't care less about (she was only in the books for a few chapters, so I didn't really understand until now how annoying she could be).

Bill and Fleur ended up apparating that night. "Bye, Mum." Bill said, hugging Mrs. Weasley. He clapped Fred and George on the shoulders, hugged his dad, and - to my surprise - me, too.

"Good luck, Lauren." He said, "It's been nice to meet you."

"Thank you." I said, oddly touched.

Mrs. Weasley cried a bit once they had apparated. "I'm just being silly." She said, and wiped a tear off of her cheek.

"Mum cries at everything." Fred muttered into my ear. "She's always afraid we're going to go off and get blown up or something."

That night, I had my first nightmare. It all starts the same - I'm running from something. I can't tell what it is, but it's gaining on me and I'm terrified and running down the street like I did that terrible night. There's a light ahead of me, _if you get here, you'll be safe, _a voice tells me, and I run desperately towards it. Suddenly, I reach it and my surroundings change. I'm at my old house that I lived with Paul in; in my old bedroom. I walk out of it as if I'm in a trance and outside where I find Paul. He's standing, looking at me, even. But his expression is dead; his face bloody. _"Lauren." _The dream-Paul says, _"It's all your fault." _

"Lauren." A voice said, shaking me. "Lauren, wake up."

I woke up to find Fred, his hair slightly messy from sleep, looking at me. "You were screaming bloody murder up here." He said. "I think you were having a nightmare."

I'm still shaking, and my hair is plastered to my head. For a moment I realized that I was wearing only a large flimsy T-shirt that had once been Fred's and underwear. "I'm sorry." I said, "For waking you up."

"That's not all." Fred continued. "You were saying someone's name. Paul. Who's Paul, Lauren?"

"Oh." I whispered, and put my face in my hands.

I don't know what I would have said, because Mrs. Weasley came into the room at that time. "Lauren, dear, are you okay?" She wanted to know.

"Yes." I replied. "I was only having a nightmare, I'm sorry for waking you up."

It's now weeks later, and the nightmares have only gotten worse.

Mrs. Weasley presses something into my hands - a small bottle of liquid. "Here you go, dear. I made it this morning for you - a potion for dreamless sleep."

"Thank you." I smile at her tiredly. Lately I've been terrified of sleeping. Lately I've been staying up as late as I can go, in a battle with myself that I always lose, until I pass out. The nightmares keep coming, though, and then I just wake up again, shaking and horrified. I can tell Mrs. Weasley is worried.

It's morning, and Fred has come by to take me to WWW. My magic has improved enough that I'm fairly adept at performing simple magic - almost third year level, although I still need to work on my potions (Mrs. Weasley has started assisting me with that). He's still staring at me.

"Well," Fred says, standing up, "Thanks for your help, Mum, but we really must be going."

"We still have half an hour-" I begin to protest.

"Now, now," Fred says, "Let's not complain." He takes my arm and escorts me out the door. I manage to say a quick goodbye to Mrs. Weasley before he shuts it quickly.

"What is wrong with you?" I hiss, jerking my arm away. He'd been acting odd ever since he woke me up from that nightmare.

"I've been wondering the same thing about you." He answers testily. Out of the twins, Fred was more hot-tempered. Likewise, George was likely to keep his cool easier. "Do you want to explain to me about what's going on? Like who this _Paul_ is?"

I sigh, I was expecting this. "Paul... is my brother."

Fred's eyes widen, and he seems to relax a bit. "So you're remembering things? That's a good sign!"

"A bit." I answer weakly. Will I ever tell him who I really am?

"But why the nightmares?" Fred says persistently. "What happened with Paul?" We've been walking down the road from the Burrow now, still talking. Fred told me once that this road went to the town nearby, Ottery St. Catchpole.

"I don't know." I say, still not sure what I'm doing. "Something bad. He's-" I want to say dead, but the words catch at my mouth. Without meaning to, I start crying.

"Lauren?" Fred says, "What's wrong? What happened?" He looks so kind now, his temper disappearing.

I allow him to embrace me, and hug him back fiercely. He smells nice, I notice, and then feel myself blushing. Why do I feel this way? He's a fictional character.

Or was he really? Who's to say what's real and what's not? Ever since I got here nothing's felt more real in years.

"Tell me what's wrong." He urges, disengaging himself. When I don't respond, he wipes a tear off my cheek with his thumb.

Suddenly, an idea comes into my head. It all seems to perfect, I don't understand why I hadn't thought of it before.

"Fred." I say.

"What is it?"

"Can you take me to Dumbledore? I need to talk to him."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Hey guys! Thank you so much for the reviews! I really hope you like this chapter! Anyway, thanks for reading and please review! :)


	5. Chapter 5

"What do you think?" Fred smiles at me once we're outside the gate to Hogwarts, "Does it jog your memory a little?" In addition to taking me to Dumbledore (which he didn't really understand, but had agreed to for some reason) Fred had hoped that by taking me to Hogwarts I would possibly remember going there, and everything else, apparently. I am still too much of a coward to tell him that I've been lying about forgetting everything, so I go along with it, saying I remember a little.

"It's beautiful." I murmur. And it is. We had apparated to the castle when the sun was just setting - it was when Dumbledore had said he was available, and since I remembered that he was gone so much in the sixth book I was quick to come. To be honest, I had always wanted to see Hogwarts too, and that was part of why I was so eager to come. "But no, I don't remember anything."

We meet Filch at the gate (he was supposed to be letting us in), and at the sight of Fred the man blanches and begins muttering things under his breath. This continues the whole way to the school.

"Old Filchie." Fred mutters to me, sounding reminiscent, "He never liked George and me. Shame, really. We could have had so much fun."

I snort, "Don't tell me; you probably tormented the poor man."

"The git deserved it." Fred answers, and I know he's right, from what I'd read anyway.

The walk to the school takes longer than I expect - I didn't realized the full magnitude of the Hogwarts grounds just from reading the books, I suppose. We only have the light from Filch's lantern and Fred's and my wands to guide us, so it looks a bit eerie, to be honest. Regardless, the grounds are a magical (no pun intended) sight. I can spot Hagrid's hut from here, and the dark outline of the Forbidden Forest as well. Fred is eying the grounds appreciatively; he probably thinks it's good to be back. I don't blame him.

Finally we reach the castle. It's even better up close. I find myself looking around, gawking at the place I had imagined for years. Filch, still glowering at us, says curtly, "Professor Dumbledore is waiting for you in his office." and then heads the other way quickly.

"C'mon." Fred says, "We'd better go before he sends Mrs. Norris after us - his demented cat."

As we walk up different corridors, Fred tells me about some of the things George and he used to do, in between making sure I don't end up stepping in a trick step or take the wrong turn (it really is hard to do). I find myself laughing at all of what he's saying.

Finally, we reach the famous gargoyle-guarded door to Dumbledore's office. "Password?" It says.

"The old git forgot to tell us the password." Fred says irritably.

"Ah, Mr. Weasley." An unfamiliar voice says, "I thought that was you." The door opens, and Dumbledore steps out. His hand is already black. My stomach drops when I realize how close to dying he is. "Now." he says, "I believe I had a meeting with Miss Anderson that, as she said in her letter is 'very important'."

"Yes, sir." I reply.

"Then we should go into my office at once." Dumbledore says, and holds the door open for me. When Fred tries to follow I say, "Er, no Fred. I'd like to speak to him alone."

"Mr. Weasley, I believe that your siblings Ron and Ginny are currently eating dinner. If you'd like to join them in the Great Hall?"

Fred gives me a strange look - sort of a mixture of hurt and confusion, but then it disappears and is replaced by a grin. "Come find me when you're done speaking to Dumbledore, okay, Lauren?" he says, and then leaves.

I follow Dumbledore into his office, and once we're at his desk (I'm sitting in front of it like I know Harry Potter will many times this year) I sit awkwardly for a few minutes. To my relief, Dumbledore speaks. "I'm assuming that the reason that you wanted to talk to me wasn't just because you can't recall what happened to you?" He says politely.

"Er, no sir." I reply, "You see, I'm not really from... around here. And I thought that you were the only one who could help me."

Dumbledore nods, "I see, continue."

It all spills out then. How my brother died, how I ended up living at the state home, that strange night that I somehow arrived in this world, that this was really just fiction where I come from... "and now I'm here and I know what's going on, but I don't know what to do, how to fix it! Or if I _should_ fix it, really." I'm babbling now, and my words trail off. We're sitting in silence.

After a few moments, Dumbledore says, "Well, that was quite a tale, Miss Anderson."

"Do you believe me?" I say, realizing how desperate I sound - and how desperate I feel.

"I do." Dumbledore says, and I relax a little in my seat. "However, I think that you shouldn't tamper with what you know will happen. It could disrupt everything, and we don't want that. As you probably know, my life is getting shorter, and I have a lot to do before my life ends. Most likely, we won't be able to meet like this again. I'd like to ask you not to tell me anything of what you know, nor should you tell any of your friends here."

He sees me nod and says, "However, I do think you should tell them the truth about who you are. Where you came from. I always say it's best to be honest with the ones you care about most, and, if I may be so bold, I believe that those you have met here qualify."

My stomach sinks, but I agree. "Okay." I say, "I'll do my best."

Dumbledore nods, "Now that we're done, and it's already quite late, why don't you and Mr. Weasley stay at Hogwarts tonight? They should still be in the Great Hall by now, finishing up their food. And while you're there, could you please tell Mr. Potter to come see me?"

I nod, and stand up, but a question suddenly forms in my mind. "Sir?" I say.

"Yes, Miss Anderson?"

"Do you know how I can get back home?"

He seems to consider it for a moment, "That, I am afraid, is up to you."

-:-

"Lauren!" As soon as I'm able to find the Weasley's, Harry, and Hermione, I'm suddenly being attacked/hugged by Ginny.

"Hello." I reply, despite the wind being knocked out of me by my over-exuberant friend.

I take a seat between Hermione and Ginny and across from Fred, and am greeted briefly by the others. Seeing Harry Potter, I'm suddenly reminded of something. "Oh, that's right. Harry, Dumbledore wants to see you."

Harry nods, and disappears. I wonder what they'll be talking about tonight, and if I affected it in any way. When I had asked Dumbledore how I would get "home", I suddenly regretted it. I didn't have a home to go to there.

"It's good to be back." Fred says, once Harry's gone. "Now that that old hag's gone."

I eat hastily - everyone else is waiting for the plates to clear away, except for maybe Ron who never seems to be full.

"Honestly, Ron." Hermione sighs, "Do you ever stop eating?"

"The two of them have been bickering non-stop." Ginny whispers to me.

Once the plates have been cleared after dessert, Fred and I wonder where we're supposed to go.

"You can come stay in my dormitory." Ginny insists to me. I shrug, only wanting to go to bed and think about everything I had learned from my conversation with Dumbledore.

Professor McGonagall ends up conjuring Fred and me sleeping bags (the squashy purple ones from book 3, I'm happy to say), and I end up sleeping in Ginny's dormitory. Before we go to sleep, we end up whispering in the Common Room for hours.

"I'm thinking about dating Dean Thomas." Ginny says, "He seems really interested in me."

I try to think - did this happen in the book?

"What about Harry?" I reply, knowing they're supposed to end up together.

Ginny shrugs, "I've given up on him ages ago. It was silly of me to even mention him to you." She had confided her crush on him to me during the summer when we were all together in the Burrow.

"Don't give up." I urge her, "He likes you, I can tell."

"You're starting to sound like Hermione." Ginny says, "Besides, I like Dean. He's nice."

I change the subject, "How's Quidditch going?"

Ginny perks up immediately, "Good! Katie Bell says I'm almost as good as Angelina Johnson." She smirked, "She was the Quidditch captain last year, do you really think I'm that good?"

I had seen her play over the summer (I had even tried to play a little myself, although I wasn't exactly a natural on a broom like Harry. In fact, I sucked at flying), and she was really good. "Yes." I reply, "Except you're even better."

We talk for a little while after that, just about trivial things. It's nice to see Ginny again; besides the twins, she's probably the best friend I have here. We fall asleep in the middle of a discussion in which Ginny tries to explain why Ron and Hermione secretly want to snog each other (I have to pretend I'm clueless, which is both interesting and frustrating in its own way). When I wake up the next morning, I find Fred waiting for me in the Common Room.

"Have a nice sleep?" He asks me, and before I can respond, "I did. I missed this place. Geroge'll be sad he didn't get to come."

"It was nice." I reply, still pretty tired from the night before. Since classes are going on, we are the only ones in the Common Room.

"So... d'you want to tell me why we're here?" Fred raises an eyebrow. I should have known he wasn't going to give up so easily.

"I-I'd like to." I say hesitantly, "But I promised I wouldn't say anything."

Fred nods, "Unbreakable Vow?"

"What? No! Of course not!"

"Then you can tell me." Fred insists. "C'mon, how bad can it be?"

_Hmmm, I dunno, pretty bad since you end up dying in the end of the book that's really the world you live in._ I think, but definitely don't say it. "I promised Dumbledore, Fred." I say, "Why do you want to know so badly?"

He shrugs, "You just looked really upset about something. I guess I just wanted to know why."

"Believe me." I say, "If I could tell you, I definitely would." That was a lie, of course I wouldn't tell him that I knew when he was going to die.

We leave shortly after lunch. I hug Ginny goodbye and whisper, "Don't give up on you-know-who... and I don't mean You-Know-Who, either." She looks a little embarrassed, but no one really knew what I was talking about, so it's not a big deal.

I'm quiet on the way home, thinking about what Dumbledore told me. It slowly sinks in that if I'm going to try not to interfere with the storyline, then I'll have to let Fred, and a lot of the other people I've met here, die.

I can stop it, but I'll have to let them die if I want everything to work out. At least, according to Dumbledore. And he was usually right.

-:-

**A/N: **Hey guys! Thanks for reviewing my story! I've always wanted to write a story like this, even though it's so cliche, and I'm having a lot of fun writing it so far. I hope you enjoy reading it!

Thanks, and please tell me what you think! Also, if there are any major grammar/spelling errors or errors with the storyline, please tell me! :)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter.


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